Month: February 2011

What a day to be an avgeek (Aviation Geek). Two big things happened today that both happened before I even got to work.

First thing to happen was the final launch of the Shuttle Discovery. Shuttle Discovery took off this morning (our time anyway) for its final flight into Space. Off to the ISS it goes to deliver its last payload of random stuff to help the station but I tell you what, it is an impressive site. STS 133 headed into the bright blue sky trailing a massive fireball behind it. Seeing that launch live on CNN this morning just made me want to see one in real life, but unfortunately that just won’t happen as I am pretty sure there are not enough shuttle launches left.

What I have done though is added to the bucket list. I wanna see a Space Launch of some kind. Be it rocket or the new replacement to the shuttle, I wanna see that plume of flame launch into the sky, see the smoke trail behind it as it reaches for the heavens. It would be a site I wanna see, just once in my life in real life.

The 2nd big thing today was the US Air Force finally deciding on a tanker to replace their ageing fleet of KC-135’s. These tankers have been flying since the 50s. I mean seriously there are planes their with more hours than some United Flight Attendants (inside Avgeek joke), but the journey to this day has been an epic feat of stupidity. Backwards and forwards, claims of corruption and mishandling. Stupid moves made by not only the companies involved but also the US Government. I mean seriously who takes a freaking decade to make a decision on an aircraft that is essentially an airliner (767/A330 in this case) with a hose out the back.

So Boeing won the contract (first time around it was EADS, then it got contested) with their Bid of a Tanker based on a 767. Only time will tell how long and if this contract ever goes ahead. Personally i give it a week before the problems start all over again and the claims of wrong doings start to fly left right and centre. If they finally do start to build these things, it will be fantastic to see something new flying around and the chances of seeing them in Brisbane are really good as we often get them escorting over here for exercises or stopping off on their way around the world. Cross my fingers we get to see one in the next decade or so.

Well it was only just about a week ago i posted another book review. This one i smashed through pretty quickly (its not that thick) because of late shifts and also getting totally engrossed in it.

The book is Mission: Blacklist #1 by Eric Maddox. To give a bit of explanation before i go into the review a bit, Blacklist #1 is Saddam Hussein. During the 2003 Iraq Invasion the “Blacklist” was set up with a list of people who the Allies (US, UK & Aus) wanted to capture. On top of that list was obviously going to be Saddam himself. It also included other family members etc.

This book covers the story of how Saddam was found just prior to his capture in Tikrit. It follows along with the 6 month deployment of Eric Maddox the US Army Interragator as he slowly but surely plotted his way through the town of Tikrit with how each person seemed to be involved with Saddam in some form or fashion. It looked at who were his body guards etc and slowly but surely looked into this picture as they formed a nice big flow chart essentially of who was in charge of who etc.

After 6 months of interrogating etc it was as though they were never going to find him, but in the off chance they actually seemed to catch him. He was hidden in a “spider hole” under the ground near a house in a town just outside Tikrit. Totally crazy. The book was just totally engrossing, following the process of going through all the people, following the body guard links.

I highly recommend it and it is a good insight into something that wasn’t to widely put out about the Iraq War (at least that i remember). This is the last of my Ekka books essentially and im stepping away from the War for the moment and going into something totally different, but that book will remain a mystery till the next review.

So finished off the latest book last night and in the new fashion, here is my 2nd review.

The book, Extreme Risk is written by Major Chris Hunter. An Ex British Army ATO (Ammunition Technical Officer), essentially what in other Countries is called an EOD technician or Explosive Ordinance Disposal or a crazy bastard who diffuses bombs for a living. This was a really interesting book to me. After hearing so much over the last few years about “IED this, IED that” (Improvised Explosive Device), it was good to read about some real life experiences with it. But the bit that really was interesting to me was Northern Ireland. I had really actually forgotten about that conflict and it was good to actually read some stuff and bring back some memories of when it wasn’t all about Al Queda but what you heard on the news was more about the IRA etc.

A very interesting read, each chapter started with a quote about life and this really had me wanting to scribble some down. Here are a few of my favourites:

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined” – Henry David Thoreau
“He who sedulously attends, pointedly asks, calmly speaks, coolly answers and ceseas when he has no more to say is in possession of some of the best requisites of man” – Johann Casper Lavater
“Patience is the companion of wisdom” – St Augustine
“The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant” – Lord David Cecil
“Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts” – Charles Dickens
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood” – Marie Curie

I really liked this book and was captivated by it. Totally don’t regret this purchase at all, another one of those $5 books i came across. Turns out that he also wrote another book on his time in Iraq so that one goes into the Amazon wishlist, for future purchases. Definately recommend this book if you are after a bit of perspective on a different kind of aspect of some of the conflicts around the world. A look at the world of someone who spends his time being methodical and also very very logical. Who looks at problems and tries to work out what is wrong.

Something that is quoted a number of times in this book always seems to stick in my head. “Absence of the normal & presence of the abnormal.” If something doesn’t look right, it most likely isnt! Good words to live by.

I have been putting this post back now for a few weeks since I’ve been so busy doing other stuff but all of my trip is now good to go. I have finalised all the hotel plans (hell a last minute hotel change today) and you will see below a full itinerary now with links to hotels in each location.

Ok well most people i know, know that I don’t know how to ride a bike. As shown in the ACA interview, its something I want to conquer. Well It has begun. The big challenge for me this year. Learning to ride a bike.

Last sunday I bought my first ever helmet. It was a bit daunting as I had no idea what to do, for something so simple to. I mean its just a bike helmet. Thousands are sold world wide every day. But I had no idea what I was doing and just decided to grab what looked like a good colour, had the right standards things, and also was pretty cheap. You may now probably think “why buy something cheap to protect your head” well my thoughts at the moment are. I may not enjoy riding a bike, if I am not going to buy one, why would i need a decent expensive helmet when the plain cheap ones do the same thing. Because if I do enjoy it, then I will buy a bike and a decent helmet worth every cent. But till that time, I will just use what I have.

On Tuesday I had my first lesson with Andy. Yeah i’m back doing PT but this time only 30 mins a week and I am paying for this time. But it was good. I am slowly getting used to it. I have not yet started to pedal or anything, just slowly getting my balance on the bike, one little step at a time! I did a bit more this morning and some more tomorrow morning after i do some weights. The more I do the longer I spend, the better it will be!

So as you can see… its completed! After only a few weeks worth of work by both me & my dad (he liked to do stuff without telling me like the painting etc).. Its all done We spent today and yesterday finishing it off. Getting the last little pieces done. I am sure that if we had of worked solidly it could of been done in one weekend but would not look as good as it would not of had time to dry etc.

But its all done now. It sits proudly in the corner flicking photo to photo. Its exceptionally clear and of such a decent size that it looks good. And what is good is that if my parents want to put on a dvd, they can. The frame was and has been for them the whole time. If i make one for myself I intend on trying the laptop variant I have seen so much of on the internet.

But to be honest. I am really happy with this thing. Total cost of parts was only about $70. Considering brand new 15″ models cost about $200 or more and this is 24″ that can’t be beat!

So i thought since I am reading so much, I might as well do some book reviews. So each time I finish a book now. I am going to share my thoughts on it to the world.

First up is the book i finished Thursday night. It is “Spoken from the Front” It is a collection of letters, diary entries, emails and interviews from British Soldiers stationed in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. It has been edited by Andy McNab but its written pretty much by the Soldiers themselves. It is a very wide range of soldiers, including medics, doctors, pilots, military police and of course general infantry soldiers.

It was a good collection of really heartfelt stories in my opinion. some good laughs as well with some very twisted emails from a Defence Press agent sending emails home. I really did like it as it gave a good insight into the way the soldiers etc really think in the war zone. The book is more about the people than about the war itself and that to me is a good way of looking at things. Reading about the people who make the sacrifices to go over there and do it, rather than about the war itself and have the book become and almost political nature as some of them do these days.

I picked this one up at the Ekka on the cheap so it only cost me $5 but i think it was good value. Not sure what else to say about this one, a good read if you want a more light hearted, personal read about the war in Afghanistan from a very varied perspective.